The Green Sky
by Crystal di Angelo
Summary: Combined powers of the children of the Big Three are at work against You Know Who. But You Know Who is not alone. Help is given to him by the sinister Mother Earth, who is gradually gaining power under the green sky.
1. Chapter 1

The Green Sky

"What the fuck!?"

Nico di Angelo tried to shadow travel away, but it didn't work. He tried it a second time, a third time, a fourth time… But each effort only made him dizzier.

Shaking his wet hair out of his eyes, he took in his surroundings.

A huge castle loomed out in the mist and rain. At first, he thought he saw a sign saying: 'Dangerous. Do not enter.' on it, but he blinked and the sign was gone.

A note fluttered down under a big, gnarled tree. Nico walked over, purely out of curiosity. Just as he bent down…

THWACK!

Nico spun around just in time to be hit in the face by a…

Branch! Him, the King of Ghosts, being attacked by a mere tree!

_Oh well…Of all trees, why did the note have to land under this one?_

After chopping off several branches, Nico's sword accidentally jabbed a spot on the tree and it immediately became still. Cautiously, Nico prodded a branch, just to make sure.

Nothing.

Picking up the note that he had gone through the tree for, he hurried away from the tree. He had a feeling that its paralyzed state won't last forever.

Sure enough, when he was about twenty meters away, the tree's branches started flailing wildly again.

Opening it, he smoothed it out and tried to read it.

_Nico,_

_There is one particular wizard that has defied my faithful servant Thanatos for a long time. He was supposed to die about fourteen years ago, but I had no one that I trusted enough to destroy him then. However, now that I have you, I can finally destroy him! Remind me to call a day off in the Underworld when we have finally finished him off. I hate that paperwork! Oh, and you can help me in designing new punishments reserved just for him._

_Oops. Off topic. Right, now I want you to attend Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I know that you have not an ounce of magic in you, but Hecate has agreed that you can be gifted magic for the time being. But my jealous brothers insisted that their children will go with you, since they are scared that you have too much power, which I highly doubt. You can also help the Chosen One to finish him off. Come to think of it, you better work with him. With only your abilities, you will take forever to finish him off._

_You will find your things arriving with Percy Jackson, and books containing information about this world and reading lenses (for your dyslexia) will come with Thalia Grace. The headmaster knows about you._

_Good luck and don't get killed._-Hades

Nico crumpled the note in his fist. After the Titan War, Hades still acted like Nico was a useless breathing lump. His attitude had improved, but only slightly.

But the thought of Percy and Thalia arriving cheered him up. But when would they come?

Right on cue, a figure fell out of the sky.

Thalia screamed as she hurtled to the ground. She dimly felt a backpack that certainly hadn't been there before on her shoulders, but she was too busy screaming to care. Thanks to her ADHD, she noticed many things that weren't really that important. For one, the sky was green. Yes, _green_. She also noticed that there was someone right under her. And there was a bird pooping. Thankfully, the shit missed her. And… was that a flying _broomstick_?

How did she end up here?

She was supposed to be safely munching on hamburgers with the Hunters after they had finally hunted down a beautiful white stag that had eluded them for two years. They went to McDonalds and bought a set of fast food each and were raising their Pepsis' and suddenly here she was.

_Concentrate!_ She told herself.

Ten meters from the dirt, her fall slowed and finally came to a stop.

Getting up, she looked for the figure she saw just now. Maybe he would know where in Hades was this. Looking around, she spotted the figure at a lake.

'Hey, do you know where is-'Thalia was stunned when the boy turned to face her. 'Nico di Angelo?'

Nico nodded.' Who else wears an aviator jacket, has black eyes, a Stygian iron sword and has a death aura?'

Thalia frowned.' Death aura? Come on, Nico, we're just kidding when we call you Death Breath.' She was about to go on if not for Percy Jackson's head protruding out of the water where it certainly hadn't been there a moment before.

Percy was having a nice day. Swimming with Annabeth, watching a movie with Grover, and he was about to eat some blue chocolate chip cookies when he ended up in a lake that had mermaids, a ghost and a giant squid. Wait until Nico hears about the ghost.

He emerged from the lake and was staring at the green sky curiously when he felt a backpack on his shoulders and two figures staring at him from the bank. Swimming over, he recognized one of them as Thalia Grace. The other had his face shrouded in shadow and only when he got closer, he saw the figure as Nico di Angelo.

'Hey, guys!' he said brightly before realizing something was wrong. Nico looked even gloomier than usual and Thalia had a troubled look on her face.

'Hogwarts… Darn it… Even Annabeth haven't heard of it before or she'd be ranting on its structure and stuff. Nico, are you sure that your dad said witchcraft and wizardry?'

'For the third time, yes.' Nico replied without even looking at her.

Trying to lighten the atmosphere, Percy said, 'Jeez, my swim didn't take that long, did it?'

Nico sighed, 'Yes, it did.' He thrust a note into Percy's hand, saying that it will explain most of what is happening now, and grabbed the two backpacks and started looking through it.

Percy read the note and felt anger boiling. Even if Nico got too powerful, he won't destroy the gods! And throwing the three of them into an unknown world like this…Not cool. And there was the matter of Hades treating Nico like rubbish. He was so going to have a word with Hades when they got home. _If_ they got home.

'Well, let's go to the castle and talk to this headmaster.' Percy suggested.

All of them agreed and they set off towards the castle under the green sky.


	2. The Disastrous Sorting

**Thank you to the awesome people who reviewed! Thanks in particular to light sorceress, who gave me some useful tips! And to those who put me on alert, thank you! In return, I present this new chapter, named: The Disastrous Sorting. Enjoy!**

"Headmaster," Thalia repeated, anger boiling. 'Do you mean that it was you that requested for us to be sent here in the first place?'

The three of them were in Professor Dumbledore's (though Thalia preferred to think of him as Dumb-le-bore, also Dumby) office. Instruments were whirring on a desk, which Percy was examining while Nico just stood there doing nothing but shuffling from one foot to another. Quite a feat for an ADHD kid. And there was a phoenix. It was small, burned and black. Who knew that a phoenix could be as ugly as that?

Sensing the direction of Thalia's gaze, Dumby said,' Ah, yes, that's Fawkes. Usually he looks quite majestic, you know, but today he is just reborn and… looks none for the better.'

'Explain yourself, no changing topics.'

Dumby leaned back, folded his hands together and started to talk.

'Hogwarts had four great founders. They were Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Helga Hufflepuff. They-'he was cut off by Thalia.

'We asked why you got us here, not the history of the school.'

'It is essential that you know this, Ms. Grace.'

Thalia was so shocked that she stuttered,' But- I didn't tell you- how did you know?'

'Simple. Occlumency, commonly known as mind reading.' Seeing the trio's shocked faces, he smiled. 'Don't worry. I haven't been snooping in your …ah, private memories.'

'They had their own houses. All was peaceful, until that doomed day. They had a fight, Gryffindor versus Slytherin, Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw. Shortly after that, Slytherin left and had a family out there.' Dumby looked at them to make sure they understood then switched to another completely different topic, but Thalia didn't bother to argue.

'There was a wizard named Tom Riddle, and he was abandoned by his father. Shortly after his birth, his mother died.'

The three of them looked up, shocked. This dark lord had even worse luck than them, which was saying a lot.

'He was brought up in an orphanage. When he learned that he had magic, he was full of joy. He had the ability to speak to snakes, which is highly unusual. He was placed in Slytherin. Charming- '

Thalia snorted.

'-and clever, he soon earned the teachers' favors. After he left Hogwarts, he underwent changes no one wanted to see, killed his uncle, father and grandparents. Thus, he became the Lord Voldermort that everyone feared. According to what I believe, he created seven Hocruxes, and I know six, maybe all, of them. I am suspecting Hufflepuff's cup, Ravenclaw's diadem, his snake Nagini, Slytherin's locket, his diary, his grandfather's ring.'

There was a silence while Thalia did the math.

'What's the last one?'

Dumby obviously had dreaded this question.

'Harry Potter,' he said slowly.' The Boy Who Lived.'

Sure, Nico's mind was reeling with a hundred questions, but the headmaster made it clear-the person Nico was supposed to be working with was supposed to be dead. But now, sitting on an old stool with a patched hat on his head with a whole school of students watching, he found it very hard to worry about it. For now.

They had decided on a cover story-they would be staying at Hogwarts as special guests the headmaster had invited and to blend in they would take classes like normal students. In order to do that, they must be Sorted. That's the reason Nico is sitting here like an idiot now.

All of a sudden, a voice spoke, making him leap off the stool. _Hello, boy. Let's see, it hasn't been a full year yet, so why are you here?_ The hat paused, making Nico wince as part of his memories were read._ Ah…I see… a demigod. On a quest from Hades. Oh, and you can sit down now. _Nico realized that he was still standing and sat back onto the stool.

_Hmmm…Interesting case. Never met one like you before. You are cunning, so you could be in Slytherin, but you are quite loyal too, so Hufflepuff could suit you as well. Not to mention that you are quite clever and would have became the top in school if not for your dyslexia. And you are incredibly brave. Sorry but I have to look inside your memories._ Nico's eyes widened as images flashed before him.

The Titan War… Seeing Silena in the Underworld… Desperately trying to convince his father…Watching Percy bathe in the Styx, fearful that he might lose his only friend…

The images flashed past, making Nico remember all those times. He resisted the urge to cry when the hat looked through his memories of his dreams about Bianca, screaming at Percy…

It came to an abrupt stop at the casino. At that point, Nico was barely holding himself together.

_Sorry, boy._ The hat said regretfully._ I didn't mean to bring up all that. Just that it was necessary. Good luck on your quest. Can I tell Dumbledore this? I mean, he will try to get you better treatment from your father when the quest ends._

_Yes,_ Nico responded. _Just don't tell him too soon._

_Thank you. For fighting in a war, personal lose yet surviving, I declare for you to be in_ GRYFFINDOR!

Nico yanked off the hat shakily and put it down onto the stool. Percy and Thalia were watching him with concerned expressions. Doing his best to block the tears, he stumbled over to the Gryffindor table and buried his head in his hands, not caring even if Macdonald's appeared on his plate.

'Grace, Thalia.' Professor McGonagall's voice echoed in the hall. Thalia was so worried about what the hat had done to Nico that I didn't even bother to chide McGonagall for using my last name.

The whole Hall seemed to be holding it's breath, the only noises made by two red-headed guys attempting to start a conversation with a very irritated Nico di Angelo. From the look on his face, he did not want to be interrupted, but the two guys did not seem to know that.

Thalia put on the hat and waited with bated breath.

_Hello. Another one!? Oh right. I see that you are brave, not a doubt about that. Loyal too. And just a streak of cunning. But you don't have outstanding intelligence. No offence, though. Why is it so hard to decide? Sorry but I have to go through your memories too, just like the other boy. I hope that you don't end up like him too. I hate tragic pasts. Especially for teenagers. They are too young to suffer so much._

Images were pulled up from the depths of her mind. Her baby brother Jason eating a stapler… She was so scared then. At the house where she lost him… Thalia blinked back tears. The day her mother died… Thalia wasn't going to admit it, but she did love her mother. Meeting Luke and Annabeth… Just thinking about Luke made her wince. Getting turned into a tree… One word: Ouch. Getting revived…

Finally, the hat said,_ I have seen enough to decide that you should be in _GRYFFINDOR! _Good luck, my lady. I knew Zeus once too. And I'm sorry that I made you break down._ The hat added before she whipped it off her head. Now she understood why Nico looked even paler than before when he took the hat off.

Going over to the Gryffindor table, she sat down and began to wolf down food even though she wasn't hungry. She did it to hide the fact that she was about to cry.

'Jackson, Perseus.'

Percy stepped forward nervously. Now _he _was on the receiving end of what the hat had done to Nico and Thalia. Even though the girl did her best to hide her emotions, Percy still saw through it. He was definitely not going to enjoy this.

Putting on the hat, he still guessed blindly what had happened. Did the hat have spiders in it? No, not the answer. Thalia would be freaked out but Nico would just take it off, walk up to the professor and stuff the hat into her hands, wait for her to figure it out, and a scream.

_If you don't mind, I don't have spiders in me. _Percy leapt ten feet into the air. A talking hat! Dumby should have told him! He loved Thalia's nickname for the headmaster.

_Dumbledore's a great person, not Dumby._ Mind reading too! What in Tartarus?

_I see that you are the third, last and least bright of all. And don't retort. I know you are getting hungry so let's not waste any time. Brave, loyal. Ravenclaw is definitely out. Slytherin too. So… up to your memories to decide Gryffindor or Hufflepuff then. _Without waiting for Percy to give a retort, the hat plunged into his memories.

Getting claimed…Knowing Tyson… Bearing Atlas's burden…The Titan War…

Percy closed his eyes as he remembered Beckendorf, Silena, Luke, and Ethan Nakamura…

GRYFFINDOR! The hat screamed to the hall.

Throwing the hat off, Percy made his way to the table when he noticed Nico slipping out, and Thalia looking ready to fry the hat, now that she couldn't mask what she felt now (She had finished all the food).

_Later, in the common room. _

After everyone had gone to bed, Harry discussed the guests with Hermione.

'So… What did you think? ' he asked in hushed tones.

Hermione shrugged.' We will know. They will be sharing lessons with us through the year. By the way, talk to Ron. He _is _your friend, after all.'

'_Was_.'

'Fine. I know you will regret it. I hate being stuck between you two, you know?'

Harry decided not to point out that Hermione had done the same thing with Ron in their third year.

Hermione resumed what she had been saying,' You know that you want to make peace. The three of us know. So why do you-' She was cut off when the portrait swung open.

Two of the new guests climbed in. Eager to know more about them, the two of them shrank into the shadows.

One of them was saying,' Nico, that hat pulled your memories of Bianca out, right?'

The other remained silent.

'Nicky-'

'Don't call me Nicky!'

'Fine. Just spit it out, won't you?'

'Fine! It dragged up the day when you told me she was dead! And my nightmares! And when mom died! And that stupid casino! And when I took you to dad and he locked you up! And when you left me with him! And…' the boy broke down into sobs.

The other boy-was his name Percy?-said,' Come on, Nicky. I thought your dad told you not to cry?'

'Don't-talk-about-him. And don't call me _Nicky_ !'

Percy smiled. Nico was back to normal. For now. How he hated those words.

**I know that I am a bit harsh on Percy, but, hey, his nickname isn't Seaweed Brain for nothing, is it?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to The Huntress101 for reviewing. **

**Disclaimer: Use your logic. If I own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson I would be on a cruise, not sitting in front of a computer typing. So yeah, I don't own them. Sigh.**

**Do I have to do a disclaimer every chapter? Tell me through PMs or reviews.**

**Nico seems a little OOC here, but I assure you, after everything he's been through, I won't be surprised if he cries himself to sleep every night. **

**I will be changing some of the events and time in the original Harry Potter book, so don't be surprised.**

'Sirius, now that Hagrid has shown me what is in the first task, it is dragons, and I'm a goner.' Harry finished desperately.

Sirius looked at him, concerned. 'Dragons, we can deal with. But I need to warn you, about the three new students you told me about in your letter. Hogwarts usually don't accept guests, and if they do, the guests won't be three teenagers. And they won't be attending classes or get Sorted.'

Harry's heart sank. 'So what do I have to do?' It was bad enough that he had to deal with the Triwizard Tournament. Now he had to deal with three probably dangerous guests on top of dragons.

'Stay close to them but don't let them suspect you. Know them. Find their weaknesses in case you need to use the information.' Sirius advised. Then his eyes narrowed.

'What is it?' Harry turned to look behind him. At first he saw nothing. Then as he squinted more, he saw a figure standing there. His heart seemed to drop.

'Hurry!' he hissed at Sirius out of the corner of his mouth. 'Get out!'

Blocking the fireplace with his body, he prayed that the figure hadn't seen Sirius, even though he knew it was hopeless. Who knew how long the figure had been standing there?

The figure stepped out of the shadows. It was Nico di Angelo. He looked depressing as usual, but this time-was his eyes playing tricks on him?-the boy was wearing a sad smile.

'Don't worry, I'm not going to turn you in.' The boy surprised Harry with these simple nine words.

'You… What?' Harry couldn't believe his ears.

'I'm not going to turn you in. For Sirius Black.'

Harry was stunned. Then it was replaced by a wave of anger. 'Why did you eavesdrop on us?!' It probably wasn't the wisest thing to do, especially when the other could threaten him with the safety of his godfather.

'For your information, I knew that you and your friend eavesdropped on us yesterday. I was…' the boy hesitated, then said,'…too disturbed to acknowledge you.'

Despite Sirius's warnings, Harry couldn't help but feel a wave of pity for the boy.

Nico turned and climbed the stairs to the boys' dormitory, leaving twelve words ringing in Harry's ears.

'Must be good to have family which you can get advice from.'

Harry decided not to go to bed yet. He crept towards the third year dormitory in his Invisibility Cloak.

The reason?

He could hear sobs coming from there. It was muffled, but he still could hear it clearly. It sounded something like:' Bianca, please, don't go…don't go…' The next moment it changed into: 'Dad, you promised me! You promised! You said you won't hurt him!'

Harry highly suspected that the person having nightmares was Nico.

Pushing open the door, he tiptoed into the room. He was _not _expecting the other guest, Percy Jackson to be sitting on a chair beside the bed, shaking Nico.

He hastened to close the open door before anyone noticed him. Only that he realized that he was supposed to go out before he closed the door.

'Nico, wake up!'

Nico sat up in a flash, trying to wipe away his tears but got tangled in the blankets instead.

Percy sighed. 'Nico, seriously, you have been crying for twenty minutes and I was sitting here all the time trying to wake you, so no point in trying to hide the tears.'

'Geez, Percy, you can actually count?'

Percy huffed. 'Now you are back to the annoying boy I picked up at Westover Hall three years ago, not the person who risked his neck to…'he stalled as Nico raised his hand.

'Harry Potter. No point in trying to hide.'

Harry froze. How did the boy know he was there? He made no movement to reveal himself, hoping that the boy was just joking. But his hopes were squashed when the boy got out of bed, tripped over the blankets(he forgotten to untangle himself), got rid of the blankets, marched over to Harry, and ripped the cloak off.

'What are you doing here?' he hissed.

Harry thought that he'd made peace with him just now, but his hopes proved false.

'Out!' the boy was hysterical. 'OUT!'

Harry raced out, thinking that it would be easy for Nico to take over a dragon when he is in a temper like this.

After pushing Percy out of the door and putting those who had awaken to sleep, he collapsed onto his bed. Great. Tomorrow the whole school would be talking about Nico di Angelo, the boy who needs to see a physician.

He was mad. REALLY mad.

What in Tartarus was Potter thinking? Intruding on his privacy like that. He was lucky that the headmaster had given strict instructions to not harm anyone in the castle unless it is to defend yourself. Or else, Potter would have been tied up at a stake with zombies surrounding him.

Hoping that his anger would subside by tomorrow, he fell back into his dreams, replaying the scene of Bianca's death again and again.

The next day, Percy watched Harry learning a charm from Annabeth's replica Hermione Granger, amused by Harry's numerous attempts to Summon a dictionary. Thanks to Hecate, he, Thalia and Nico had been able to master it, with no problem. You should hear Professor Flitwick's rants about Thalia the genius.

A letter had arrived from his father, telling him that the green sky was a sign of Gaia's power extending to Zeus's domain, which was not good. But a person must have helped her, and Voldermort is number 1 on the suspect list.

Since they were only guests, they could skip homework. Which Percy was thankful for. Imagine doing homework when there's a war coming!

He watched them for a while, then, getting bored, reminded Harry to concentrate and have confidence one more time, got up and stretched his body.

It was a beautiful day, birds singing and chirping on the grounds. At least until a horrible scream sounded in their ears. It spoke of death and despair. Then another sounded, which Percy recognized as Thalia's. It was filled with rage. The three of them looked at each other and raced for the door.


	4. The First Task Gets Messed Up

**Hey, I'm back! Sadly, my question last chapter (Do I need to do a disclaimer every chapter?) remains unanswered, so here goes.**

**I…hate to admit it, but I don't own Percy Jackson or Harry Potter. I'm only copying the writers' style in some places. **

Chapter 5 It's Bianca all over again

Thalia looked at the small body of her dead Huntress. She cradled the child in her arms and began to rock her like a baby, singing a Greek lullaby. The ritual done, she laid the child with her black, burned clothes into the rough hole that Nico had dug with his zombies. **(AN: I thought the Hunters ritual for children should be something like this. More motherly/sisterly.)**.

Nico was still holding off the dragons that they had somehow offended, but now Thalia was the offended one now.

This is the reason for Heidi's death. Heidi, the newbie who made everyone smile. Heidi, the girl she had took in a year ago and looked of like her younger sister. She was like Percy, always making silly comments, except that she was six years old and Percy was seventeen years old. Come to think of it, since _when _Percy had acted his age?

The girl had screamed when the dragon burnt her, and the sound almost ripped Thalia's soul out of her. It was so drawn out, so terrible, that Thalia couldn't help but rush to her side, ignoring the dragons.

Then she had screamed too.

By the looks of it, the fire had hit Heidi face first, frying her. Then another blast hit her, _squarely on the chest_.

That blast killed her. She was _so _going to kill the dragons.

It was like Bianca all over again.

Like Bianca all over again.

Bianca all over again.

The difference is, she was now staring at the little body in the hole, but for a moment she seemed to be stumbling over the junk, screaming Bianca's name.

She had acted cool and casual then, in order to keep the others' spirits up, but now…

Her eyes finally broke their canals, and the tears flowed out. Pent up ones for Bianca, and held back ones for Heidi. She mourned for both Huntresses.

Suddenly, her stream of thoughts was disrupted by Nico falling to the ground screaming.

The Horntail's tail had found its mark.

Percy skidded towards a stop, panting. He rested while waiting for Harry and Hermione to catch up.

_What in Tartarus happened?_ _And where in Hades is Nico?_

The second question was answered when a scream which sounded like Nico's sounded. It was closely followed by Thalia's battle cry: 'For Zeus! And Bianca! And Heidi!'

Percy decided not to wait anymore. While he sprinted towards the direction which the noises came from, his ADHD brain couldn't help wondering.

'For Zeus' was common enough for her, but since when did Bianca become part of her battle cry? And who's Heidi?

Remembering Nico's scream, he patted his pockets for any ambrosia or nectar. Thankfully, he found a squashed slice of ambrosia and a small bottle containing nectar.

Then he rammed into a tree.

'Ow.' He muttered, feeling a lump on his forehead form.

Someone chuckled. 'You should know better than to walk and think at the same time, don't you?'

Percy whirled around, sword at the ready, but lowered it. 'Nico? What are you doing here? I heard you scream and then-'

Nico shrugged and winced. 'The injury isn't that bad. That's why I'm able to crawl out of range and get here. Thalia is so mad that I had to get away, no matter what.'

'Looks like Thalia can take care of herself for now. Where's your injury?'

'The stupid dragon had to nail me on the back. And mind you, its tail is _massive_.'

Percy's mouth fell open. 'Are you telling me that there are dragons here? In Hogwarts?'

Nico pointed. 'See for yourself.'

Through a gap in the bushes, Percy saw two dragons breathing fire and swatting at a figure on the ground, which Percy took as Thalia. She moved with lightning speed, and was blasting the dragons with any chance she got. Her whole body was crackling with electricity, and was using Aegis, which seemed to do a pretty good job of holding the dragons a meter away. There were only two words that could describe her now. Mad and scary.

'Now I see what you mean.'

Percy gave Nico the ambrosia to eat while he cleaned the wound. It looked pretty bad but Percy was sure it would be okay. Nico winced a little but relaxed after he ate the ambrosia.

Only then Harry and Hermione arrived, still clutching their sides while they wheezed.

**Sorry but I'm not in the mood for a longer chapter. I want to send an email but the website was making improvements to it so it's shut off and I can't send the email. Oh, and I will be trading a review for a chapter. Review once, and get a new chapter within a week. But if the reviews grow more then I will trade more for a chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Would anyone BOTHER to answer my question? Do I have to do a disclaimer every chapter? Oh, and I am raising the price to two reviews per chapter. Reviews without useful tips or afterthoughts after reading the story don't count. Sorry guys but if you review without any useful stuff I find it very hard to write the next chapter. And to those who reviewed, sorry because I don't have time to answer the reviews. And guys, please vote for how you want the wizards to discover the demigods' identities. The poll is on my profile. I will be stopping it on 3****rd**** December. **

**Disclaimer: **

**Percy: That stupid girl doesn't own us! I prefer the writing style of Rick Riordan! **

**Harry: Yeah, she doesn't own us. J.K. Rowling's writing style is better!**

**Hermione: Don't be mean!**

**Harry: Sorry…*disappears***

**Hades: Perseus Jackson, how dare you insult my daughter?!**

**Percy:*gulps* Sorry Lord Hades!**

**Hades: I'm sorry daughter, but Rick owns us, not you.**

**Me: No…..**

**On with the story!**

They were in the common room, except for Nico. Harry and Hermione had insisted that Nico must go to the hospital wing. Nico had protested, and even got up to walk to show that he was okay. But Percy saw him gritting his teeth as he took a step, and made him go to the hospital wing.

Thalia had managed to get her emotions under control, but was still hiccupping slightly. Harry was fidgeting nervously. The first task was postponed while they got another challenge.

He remembered the afternoon vividly.

'_Percy, what's going on?' Hermione asked. 'And what happened to Nico?'_

_Harry was stunned. He darted to a gap in the bushes and peered through it, not daring to believe what he saw._

_Yet it was real._

_Thalia Grace was fighting the dragons he was supposed to face the next day. Three lay dead, and there was only the Hungarian Horntail left. It was swatting her with its tail, and Thalia was flying by the trees, causing the dragon's breath to put them on fir- Wait, she was flying?_

_Harry rubbed his eyes, but he still saw a really mad Thalia Grace flying above the trees._

_Percy came next to him and whistled. 'Wow. She even forgot about her fear of heights.' _

_After watching for a while and debating whether to help, Harry decided that Thalia could take care of herself all right. The Hungarian Horntail had its tail chopped off cleanly, making it a Hungarian Tailless. _

_Just then, he remembered the other boy on the ground._

_Percy was arguing with Nico when he turned around. He caught the last part:'…could burn you up, you know?'_

'_I don't care!'_

'_But I do!'_

_Just then they discovered Harry and Hermione listening to them, and stalled immediately. Percy tossed something to Nico, which Nico devoured immediately. Harry supposed that was what they had been arguing about a minute ago._

_That stuff could burn people up? Then why did Nico eat it?_

_He waited feverishly for Nico to burst into flame, and had Hermione be ready to cast the Aguamenti Charm. But Nico did not do so and instead became uncomfortable. _

'_What are you looking at me for?' he demanded. 'Waiting for me to burst into flames?'_

_Harry couldn't help but chuckle. That was exactly what he was thinking._

_Just then there was a roar, and the last dragon fell to the ground with a thud. Thalia came out of her fighting trance and seemed to realize something. 'Oh no, where is Nico?'_

_Beside him (Harry had sat down on the ground) Nico rolled his eyes. 'Now you think of me.'_

_Thalia frantically pushed aside branches. She didn't need to lose another friend._

_Then she burst into their little clearing, almost bowling Percy over._

'_Percy, have you seen Nico? He was hit by the dragon's tail and I got so engrossed with fighting the dragons that I forgot all about him.'_

'_Yeah, thanks.' Nico said._

_Thalia whirled around and saw Nico. She flung herself onto him (_**Pure friendship, don't think anything else)**_._

'_Thalia, get off me! By the way, do you have any…' Nico lowered his voice so Harry didn't hear what he said._

_Percy shot a warning look at him. 'Thalia, don't give him any! He already finished all of mine!'_

_Thalia was shocked. 'Nico di Angelo, do you have a death wish?'_

'_Maybe. So?'_

'_I am not giving you any.' She said in a final way._

'_Please…I just want to walk by myself to the castle!'_

_Percy sighed. 'If you don't want to be carried, you can just lean on me.'_

_Hermione asked,' Did you get hurt? You should go to the hospital wing when we get back!'_

'_No way.'_

'_Yes way.'_

'_Look, I can walk by myself, so it's fine!' And just to prove his point Nico got up-rather slowly, Harry noticed-and walked three steps._

'_You are going to the hospital wing.' Percy said._

'_But why? I can walk perfectly by myself.'_

'_Nico…You were gritting your teeth.'_

_Knowing that he was defeated, Nico limped to the hospital wing with Percy's help. All the way, Harry thought about Thalia's mysterious powers, and got so distracted that Peeves managed to dump a whole pail of ink on them. Peeves got scolded by Madam Pomfrey, something about infecting wounds and making it harder to clean and all that. But Peeves got his shock when the ink was cleaned off and he saw Nico glaring murderously at him. Muttering something about not offending again and a lot of bows Peeves zoomed off._

_End flashback(pretty long too)_

Harry looked into the fire. He was still pondering about the trio's powers. Percy so far hadn't shown anything unusual, Nico could scare off a ghost, Thalia could freaking _fly_ and summon _lightning bolts_.

Percy leaned over and asked,' Thalia, how did Heidi get here?'

Thalia had told them what happened in the evening. They even went to the hole and filled it up properly. Hermione had carved Heidi's name and her date of birth and death onto a stone and placed it on the grave.

Thalia hiccupped again before answering. 'I…I don't know. Nico and I were strolling by the woods when we heard a scream. We ran over, saw her getting hit by fire and…' She sniffled. 'She didn't get to tell me why and how she was there.'

Harry recorded that in his mind. Another mystery to solve, and a particularly hard one.


	6. Chapter 6

**To those who like this story, be ready to party! I have a full month of holidays! So I will be constantly updating. But if you guys don't vote(see the poll on my profile), I can't continue it. I think this chapter is totally rubbish so sorry that you have to endure it!**

**The whole Triwizard competition has been cancelled since the Ministry can't come up with any new challenges in such a short span of time. Annoyed because of the paperwork he had to do, the Minister of Magic turned his full fury onto Dumbledore.**

'Your guests caused this to happen!' Fudge was positively spitting with rage. 'The Ministry should know about you accepting guests whose origins are unknown into the school!'

Just then, Madam Pomfrey, red faced, hissed,' This is a hospital wing, Minister! The patients need rest!'

' No! I am here to talk to the patient and his friends! Let me in! This is a precaution that they are not the accomplices of He Who Must Not Be Named!'

Madam Pomfrey was at a loss for words and let the Minister enter.

Fudge was greeted by a sight he did not expect. A pale boy was propped up with pillows on a hospital bed, and was chatting happily with a boy which he took to be Harry Potter at first but he realized the difference a second later. A girl was observing them with a sad expression on her face. Then the girl saw him.

'Who are you, what do you want?'

'Thalia...' the replica of Harry Potter began but stalled when the girl shot him a murderous glare.

'Thalia, I suppose that you have a death wish, speaking to the Minister of Magic like that. Seriously, and you just told me off for almost burning myself up...' The pale boy was unfazed despite the girl looked ready to kill.

'Jeez, Nico, you are the one that has a death wish. Two death wishes, actually. First you almost burned yourself up, next you talk to Pinecone Fa-' the girl glared at him again and he changed tack.'I mean Thalia, like that.' Both boys dissolved into fits of laughter despite the astonished look Fudge was giving them.

The girl turned back to Fudge.'I suppose that you want to speak to us.'

'Yes. Separately.'

'You can speak to me and Percy separately, but Nico must be accompanied by one of us.'

The boy, or Nico, spoke up,'Thalia, I can take care of myself! I'm not a little kid!'

'You are, physically. And you got yourself a jab from Hungarian Tailless, remember?'

'It is healing!'

'Madam Pomfrey said that you are not moving or you will rip the wounds apart again, remember? And it wasn't a cut, it was a lot of holes.'

The argument continued, Nico still stubbornly insisting that he can deal with it himself, and Thalia pointing out that he couldn't move for the next few days unless he wanted to stay another week in the hospital. Percy obviously did not want to risk getting murdered by either one of them, so he did not take sides.

'Look, I am not going to pull out a sword and try to murder you when talking, so stop it!'Fudge was getting really, really impatient.

'All right, Percy goes first, me next, Nico last.'

Fudge sighed with relief and pulled Percy into a empty classroom. Now to begin the interrogation.

' How many questions will you ask?' Percy demanded.

'Your choice. As long as it is more than ten.'

'Eleven!' Percy said immediately.

Of course he would choose the smallest number possible. Fudge cursed inwardly. 'Right. First question. What are you at Hogwarts for?'

Percy pondered for a moment. Then he decided to take a leaf out of Nico's book. He would answer the truth, but since the Minister didn't say,'main purpose', he answered the side purpose.' To study magic.'

Fudge thought a while before asking the second question. He did not doubt the honesty of the answer since he made him drink a truth potion before starting to ask questions. (AN: Since he is a demigod, the magic doesn't work too well on him. But he is still half mortal, so he still has to answer the truth, but they don't have to answer the whole truth. Hope this explanation is acceptable.) ' Well... Who did you get your magic from?'

Percy smirked.'From my dad's side.' Hecate was his dad's sort of family, so technically he wasn't lying.

The Minister continued,'Have you fought in a war?' Even though that question seemed totally weird, he still felt essential to know whether the boy had been involved with the war with Voldemort.

Seeing no way around that, Percy replied,'Yes.'

'Thirdly, precisely when is the war?'

Percy had to answer the accurate date.

Fudge was utterly bemused. He knew of no war that had happened.

'Who did you fight?'

'Luke.' Percy came up with another sort of truth.

Who is this Luke? Why did they fight a silent war? Fudge thought his head was going to explode.

'We will continue the seven other questions next time. I have to mull things over for a while.'

Looking enormously relieved, Percy got up. But his short lived relief didn't last for long.

For echoing in his ears, was Thalia's frantic scream.

'Percy, get here! There's something wrong with Nico!'


	7. The prophecy that does not rhyme

Voldermort swept through the passages of the cavern. Coming to a stop in front of an altar, he raised his hands and began to chant in Ancient Greek. A face slowly morphed in the earth.

'I have done as you requested, my lady. Pity that the dragon only got the son of Hades.'

'Yes, a great waste of that poison. But no matter. The son of Hades plays a great part in the group. If he goes down, their power would be decreased greatly. But it would still be better if we got the others. After all that trouble I gone through to wipe the poison onto the dragon's spikes...'

'But I still do not understand why the poison has to be delayed until the infected drinks a truth potion.' Voldermort frowned. After all, there was a chance that they will not feed him a truth potion.

'And you had me thinking you are smart, Riddle. The Minister is bound to suspect. As he is not skilled enough to use Occlumency, he most certainly would resort to truth potions.'

'You are most wise, my lady. Perhaps I should leave now?'

'You may leave.'

The lights extinguished and Voldermort smiled evilly to himself. After the Triwizard competition had been cancelled, he lost no time in getting his body back. Hating himself for having to resort to Wormtail's plan, he had invented a few spells, one of which summoned Mother Earth. Learning about the Greek Gods, he also learned about Gaia's plan. Gaia had applied poison onto a dragon's spikes, hoping that it will strike down most of the demigods and wizards, but it only got one.

Now, time for plan B.

Line break

**Terrified, Percy sprinted through the corridors. What happened to his little brother? Thalia won't scream like that if it wasn't serious.**

He tore into the hospital wing, almost taking the door off its hinges. He couldn't see Nico because Madam Pomfrey blocking the bed.

Approaching Thalia, he demanded,'What happened?'

Thalia lowered her hands that masked her terrified expression.' After the Minister force fed us that potion, Nico started to shiver. I thought it was only the after effects so I just gave him an extra blanket. Suddenly he started to cough violently and the blankets were sprayed with blood. I screamed and Madam Pomfrey came. You know what happened next.'

Madam Pomfrey moved away and ordered Thalia to get Dumbledore. Percy finally had a clear view of Nico.

The blankets were sprayed with blood. Nico wasn't coughing anymore, just lying there, still as death. He was barely conscious.

'Nico?' Percy hoped that Nico could answer, to relieve him of his worries.

'Hey, Seaweed Brain. What did the Minister ask?'

Percy told him in detail what had happened. Just then, the doors burst open, and it really fell off its hinges this time. Harry and Hermione was standing there. Hermione repaired the door with a charm, and Harry spoke,'We heard a scream-'

'And it wasn't clear because we were quite far from here-'

'And we snuck from class using my cloak-'

'Then here we are.'Hermione finished.

'What happened?'

As in answer the Harry's question, Dumbledore strode in. 'From what Ms Grace said, Mr Di Angelo is gravely sick. Allow me.'

Percy moved out of Dumbledore's way as he began to mutter inaudible spells over Nico.

Please heal him... Please heal him... I promise that I will never call you Dumby again if you succeed...

Percy felt relief course through him as some of the color returned to Nico"s face.

Dumbledore stopped chanting, but there was no joy on his face.

'What's wrong with him?' Harry was clamoring for answers.

'This is a very ancient form of poison. Normally, you just have to journey into Tartarus and get the cure. But there is also modern magic combined in it. I fear that there is no cure known to us. The best I can do is to lessen his pain. He has only three weeks left.'

Percy felt that the whole world was crashing down around his ears. His little brother, dying.

Nico smiled weakly up at them. 'It's okay, Perce. We don't really expect ourselves to live up to a hundred years old, don't we?'

Hermione looked shocked, but she still asked,'What do you mean by Tartarus and all that?'

Dumbledore gave a start. He almost forgot about Harry and Hermione being there. He sighed and started to explain. Thalia didn't make Hermione's questions lesser since she is sending an Iris message to Chiron and Annabeth.

Both of them happened to be in the Arena.

'Thalia, what's wrong?' Annabeth cried, seeing Thalia's grim expression.

Chiron trotted up to her. Thalia began to tell them what happened.

By the time she finished, Annabeth was typing furiously on her laptop which she had ordered one of the kids to fetch. Chiron was stroking his beard and had one of those sad expressions he wore when he knew one of his campers was not going to make it.

At long last, Hermione had run out of questions and now Dumbledore was talking to Harry. Annabeth also stopped typing.

'There is a cure, but very hard to get.'

'What?' Hope arose. Nico could be cured, they could get their cousin back. Hades won't have to murder anyone too.

'Okay... First, you said that there is modern magic involved. So you have to get a drop of the caster's blood, go into Tartarus and get the antidote, then mix it together. The tricky part is, after you get the antidote, it has to be eaten within an hour. It is a plant, and after you pluck it, you must let Nico eat it in one hour. And don't forget to mix it with the blood properly. You must make the two bodies become one. And feed it to him two hours before he...dies. It will take effect in one hour, but don't take risks.'

'So you mean we have to bring Nico into Tartarus with us?'

'That's the point.'

Meanwhile, Chiron had got Rachel. The Oracle seemed to be in a hurry because once Rachel came within earshot, green smoke appeared and Rachel gave a prophecy for their quest. (AN: Sorry because I am not Apollo and I don't have anything for poetry. And don't blame me because I have no idea how to make it rhyme.)

Five shall descend into the darkness,

Not all will return the same,

Earth's rise delayed,

Evil not detained,

The prince of shadows will fall.


	8. Chapter 8

**The Prince of Shadows will fall? What the heck? This is simply pointless. Harry thought to himself.**

Nico is a son of Hades, which makes him the prince of shadows. And this quest is to help him get his health back, but the Oracle said that he will fall. Shit...

He didn't know what came over him then, but all he knew was saying,' I wanna go!' and Hermione agreeing to come. He felt bad that they'd left Ron out, but only five will go, and Nico must go. Percy and Thalia looked ready to zap/douse anyone that stopped them from coming. So there's five, and Ron isn't part of them.

Guiltily, he resumed packing. Ron was in detention for calling Snape a' toad with slimy hair' because Malfoy had threw an eel eye at him which hit Ron on the groin(Harry was lucky that he hadn't eaten) in front of Snape and Snape took twenty points off Gryffindor because according to Snape, it was Ron that had threw the eel eye.

Harry hoped that they would be able to leave before Ron's detention was finished, so he wouldn't have to confront him. But no such luck came.

Ron came in, looking weary. He flopped onto the bed.'Mother fucker. He made me polish the trophy room. Again! And the worst part is Snape's oily hair kept falling onto the trophies when he inspected it and I have to clean it over again!'

He groaned.' Hey, Harry, where are you going? Can I come?' Ron had spotted Harry's open bag on the bed.

Harry developed a sudden interest in his shoes.' Well, you can't come...'

'Hermione's going, isn't she?' Ron's tone was icy.

'She is.' Harry shuffled his feet nervously.

'I see.' Venom was creeping into Ron's voice.

Harry was saved by Nico when he came to the door. 'Ready to go, Harry?'

'Aren't you supposed to be resting?'

'Climbing the stairs isn't going to use up a lot of energy. And Dumbledore did the charm which could make me a little stronger to fight the poison. Has to be redone every twelve hours though. He taught Hermione to perform it so it won't be much of a problem.' Nico looked beside Harry. 'Hey, you must be Ron. Heard a lot about you. From Harry.'

Ron seemed pleased that someone has finally noticed him.' Hi. You should be Nico. What's up with you? You said poison.'

Nico opened his mouth, but Percy came up the stairs and grabbed Nico.'You should be in the hospital wing!' he hissed.' Madam Pomfrey is going hysterical and Thalia is most likely to be deaf when we get there.'

Line break

The bus lurched violently when it was halfway to the airport.

Nico swallowed another mouthful of blood. Now wasn't the right time, he told himself. He checked his watch. Seven thirty in the evening. Great. The charm was wearing off. The lurch sent him hurtling to the front of the bus, where he hit his head with a sickening crack.

Harry and Hermione was lucky that the distance between them and the front was not big, so their impact wasn't as bad as Nico's.

He swatted the spider crawling up his arm and tried to see what's happening outside, but it was quite a feat considering that many people were squeezed there, all with the same intentions as Nico.

Suddenly he felt something pierce his leg. Looking down, he discovered a big, hairy spider sinking its fangs into his leg. Then his eyes widened with horror. The floor was swarming with spiders. From poisonous ones to harmless ones. Thank the gods that the one that bit him was harmless. He stepped on every spider that was small enough. For the big ones, he hacked in half with his dagger. He could feel the strength leaving him, but he was determined that he would take down as many of Arachne's minions before he passed out. Hey, he may not be as smart as Annabeth, but he had a pretty good guess.

Stumbling over to one of the spider free spots, his knees buckled, and he faintly heard Percy shouting his name.

Line break

Percy pushed through the crowd frantically. After watching Harry and Hermione take care of Arachne(he had to admit that wizards weren't that weak after all), Thalia ordered him to find Nico. All of a sudden, he remembered that the charm would have worn off by now. He really hoped that the spiders left won't eat him up.

Screaming Nico's name and pushing through people that stared at him like he was crazy, he finally saw Nico lying on the ground. Picking him up, he shoved his way back.

With Thalia, Harry and himself shielding Hermione and Nico from view, Hermione performed the charm. Dumbledore had made the Ministry take the trace off Harry and Hermione for the time being. Nico began to regain consciousness.

'Hey,'he mumbled.'You guys killed Arachne already?'

'Yes. Now, go back to sleep.'

Nico was too tired to argue and closed his eyes.

But having dreamless sleeps seemed too much to hope for.

Line break

He dreamt that he was falling into Tartarus, Harry gripping his hand in a vice like grip.

Then the scene changed.

He saw Voldermort discussing about the poison with Gaia, and then they talked about plan B.

'The monsters are all at your command, my lady.' Voldermort bowed. 'Although the demigods managed to dispose of Arachne, we still have a big number of them left.'

'Good work, servant.'Voldermort stiffened. People do not call him servant.'Now, send the monsters to them. Do not kill, just capture. If they can't be captured, then at least slow them down. They will need a drop of your blood to heal the son of Hades, so they will still have to come here.'

Voldermort was stiffer than a tree now. Gaia was setting him up as bait?!

Nico was jerked awake as the bus arrived at the airport.

Line break

Honestly, Percy rather Dumbledore come with them on the trip instead of Harry. Even though Hermione was smart, she still haven't fully mastered the charm yet, and it wasn't as powerful as Dumbledore's. But, the chances of Dumbledore coming with them are the same as the Party Ponies not partying for five days in a row.

He had made Thalia sit behind him and Nico on the plane, so that Zeus couldn't blast them out of the sky.

Of the three of them, Percy was having the worst time. Thalia didn't have to endure anything since she could just not look out the window, and Nico was sleeping. Truth to be told, the cloth on the arm of Percy's seat had been clawed to shreds and there were fingernail marks on the arm.

It was a long trip, and when the plan finally touched the earth, Percy was the first to dash out. Closely followed by Thalia and Nico.

They grabbed a taxi heading towards Los Angelus, since Grover had told him that the earth there smelled strongly of power. Annabeth had also said that Gaia would guard the antidote closely, so she and her minions are most likely to be there.

So to Los Angelus they go.(AN Sorry if I spelled anything wrong. I have a feeling that I spelled something wrong...)


	9. The other prince of shadows is revealed

Thanks** to a guest who told me that I made a mistake! I'd uploaded the wrong document because I was too lazy to label the documents properly and ended up uploading the wrong one. Sorry guys!**

The demigods made Nico and Harry wait in McDonald since they thought that Nico was too weak to be fighting and getting Voldermort's blood. After much protesting on Nico's part, and Harry looking faintly annoyed( after all, he was the one that is supposed to kill Voldermort and they are leaving him behind?!), they ended up munching on hamburgers(thanks to Hermione's allowance) while the others marched off to a battle.

Nico was still grumbling non stop. 'Bloody hell.'he muttered.'And there is six hours left until it wears off! It bloody will not last that long!'

Harry was complaining mentally too. 'I am not a burden! Why can't I go?'

'Look, I'm sorry, okay?' Nico asked tentatively. Harry's annoyance must have shown on his face. He turned to the younger boy and sighed.'It's not your fault.'

'Okay...' Nico trailed off wistfully.'If only I could go...'

An idea popped into his head at once.'Harry, you know what's keeping us here?'

'The others.' Harry was wondering what Nico was trying to hint at.

Nico's smile widened.'But they are not here now, are they?'

An evil grin crept onto Harry's face.'They are not here. Which means... We are free!'

Line break

Percy banged his head on the wall again. He had led everyone straight into an ambush.

'No need for self torture, Seaweed Brain,'came Thalia's voice from Percy's right.'Gaia would torture you later.' both of them were silent for a moment as Hermione's screams echoed in their ears. Gaia had taken her away first just as they got captured.

Thalia gave a really lame shot at comfort.'It's okay, Perce. At least we managed to kill hundreds of monsters back there.'

'Leaving thousands more.' Percy muttered under his breath.

Thank the gods that Nico didn't come with them. Imagining Nico getting 'questioned' by Gaia in his current state sent shivers down his spine.

His thankful state did not last for long.

The door opened and Nico was pushed roughly into the cell along with Hermione, who had already started berating Nico. Thalia and Percy got the feeling that when Hermione was finished Nico would have heard enough scolding to last the rest of his life, so they decided to drop it.

'Where's Harry?' Percy asked.

Nico shrugged.'We came in together, then somehow got separated. My fighting has kinda...'

Hermione said,'Oh. My lack of experience and practice.' After all, she had only twenty minutes to learn the charm then.

Nico checked his watch and took in his surroundings. It was pure earth, with a few vines snaking on the back of the cell.

'Maybe I could...' Nico said slowly. Understanding dawned on Thalia and Percy's face.

'But...you could kill yourself!' Thalia spluttered.

Hermione checked her watch. 'Nico, you still have two hours.'

Nico took a deep breath.'Maybe I can. Give me some ambrosia and nectar.'

Percy fished out his remaining supplies and gave most to Nico. Thalia did the same.

'Here goes.'

Thirty minutes had passed, and Nico was breathing really hard. He had managed to open a tunnel, but he still haven't reached the end of it.

Percy was on the stand by, getting ready to help Nico. Hermione kept fretting about not having her wand so she could help. There was still no sign of Harry, which Percy wasn't sure was good or bad. Thalia was muttering a silent prayer to the gods.

Nico stuffed another piece of ambrosia into his mouth. The tunnel became a little deeper. Percy confiscated the remaining godly food so Nico won't burn himself up.

Suddenly, there was the sound of running water. Nico had dug deep enough to reach a spring that was embedded in the cave walls.

'Hey, Nicky. I will take it over from here.' Percy whispered gently to Nico. Nico collapsed at once onto the floor. Worried, Thalia fed him a little more nectar. Nico's breathing eased a bit and his state changed from fainting to sleeping.

Smiling with pride because of his little cousin, Percy leapt out of the cell. It turned out that there was very little digging to do. Nico had covered most of it.

Scrambling back, he waved the others on. He picked up Nico's body, which was surprisingly light.

Just then, guards burst in, saying,'We are under orders to take Nico di Angelo to see our Lady.' then they noticed Percy.

Percy had no choice but to drop Nico and bust out Riptide. Only did a horrible realization hit him. This cell was sealed so magical weapons couldn't enter. Even the powers of demigods will be decreased. No wonder Nico had to work so hard on the tunnel. It was the stupid seal and the poison hindering him.

The guards smiled creepily. One of them ran for the alarms while the other went for Percy.

Percy brought the first guard down with a random bone he grabbed and was met with two choices.

A. Leave Nico here defenseless and go after the other guard.

B. Get Nico and leave. But there's a chance of them following through the tunnel.

Both was pretty bad.

But the guard hit the alarms before Percy made his decision.

BRINGGGGGGGGGGGG!

The sound startled Nico, who was up in a flash.

Then Voldermort himself arrived.

'Hello, little brother. You are not in a fine state.' Voldermort said, watching Nico cough out blood. The effort that Nico had used to open the tunnel must have weakened the charm. Wait, brother?

Percy demanded,'Are you a son of Hades?'

Voldermort chuckled,'Why, yes, I am! My mother did not fall in love with a common Muggle. He was a god. Seriously, a common Muggle would have never produced me.'

Percy signaled for Nico to go through the tunnel, but it was already closed. He spun around to see Voldermort laughing cruelly.

'I closed it. I am not foolish enough to leave it open. Take them away, but remember to let Lady Gaia have her conversation. She hates waiting.'

Nico turned deathly pale at the mention of Gaia.

'Please... Bro, you could just turn and go with us. Father is on our side after all. He would like it if you turned.'

In a flash Percy suddenly saw Voldermort's eyes change from blood red to midnight black. Then Voldermort jerked his head and it was gone as quickly as it had come.

The guards dragged Nico away, whose eyes were terrified and pleading.

Voldermort watched Nico struggle helplessly against the guards for a while, and after he was dragged away, he turned to Percy.

'Now,' he said, eyes glinting maliciously. 'For our little talk.'

Line break

The world was spinning. The earth rose again and trapped Nico, suffocating him.

'Join me, little demigod. Follow your older brother. You will get your sister back. Your father will have to treat you like a king, instead of dirt. Your friends will be granted safety. You will not die. You will have nothing to lose.' Gaia kept up her argument against Nico. She had been doing that for the past hour, and Nico was already losing the will to argue.

The poison had been not much help either. He had thrown up eight times, fainted twice and was quite sure that he had caught an extra fever. Thanks to Gaia dumping him into a pool of ice.

At last, Gaia ordered her servants to take Nico out. She'd had enough for the day.

He was kicked ruthlessly into the cell. Percy rushed over.

'Are you okay?'

Nico managed a 'Fine.' through gritted teeth. Only then he noticed Voldermort smirking in a corner.

'What are you doing here?'

'Having fun with my little cousin.' Voldermort answered, twirling his wand.

Nico pushed himself into a sitting position and made Percy turn around while he looked for wounds. There were none.

'What did he do to you?' Nico was really frightened. If Voldermort could look that satisfied, it must be something bad. Really, really bad.

Percy was getting uncomfortable. 'Nico, seriously, I'm okay! But I don't think that you are fine, though. Look at yourself!'

Nico realized that his clothes were covered in grime, and still dripping from the melting ice pool. And his face must look like a zombie.

In the back of the cave, Voldermort felt a pang in his heart.

The two of them were fussing over each other like a family. A family which he lacked.

His mother didn't want him, or else she could have performed magic and she would have been alive to be with him. Father didn't care about him either. Or else, he wouldn't have left his mother.

So all he could do was to ruin families. Why do they get to have a proper family when he doesn't? It's unfair! The Death Eaters only became his'family' because they craved power and blood.

He killed and sought immortality, to get his dad's attention. Only then he discovered that his dad despised him even more for it.

When he met Gaia, she offered him a brand new family, with her and the others who were willing to join. He accepted the offer eagerly and left his Death Eaters.

When he knew that he had a younger brother, he had tortured Percy, to confirm it. He didn't want to be disappointed again. After many shouts of'Crucio'',Voldermort confirmed the rumors. He could barely wait until his younger brother joined them. He didn't expect Nico to refuse Gaia.

When Nico came back into the cell, he was covered with bruises. Percy had rushed up to him immediately, giving Voldermort no chance to help him.

He heard the sound of splitting coughs again and decided to help, no matter they liked it or not.

Pushing Percy out of the way, he walked straight up to Nico. The boy looked up at him and smiled, giving Voldermort courage to continue.

Line break

Nico laughed with delight as he found that he could swing the sword without any effort.

Tom had performed the charm and it was so powerful that Nico was nearly back to his old self. When Tom had cast the spell, he looked up, and saw the handsome face of Tom Marvalo Riddle, not the sinister one of Lord Voldermort. He'd smiled at him, giving him permission to continue.

Affected by Nico, Percy began to laugh too, delighting in Nico's happiness. Tom was standing opposite Nico, leaning against the wall while watching his younger brother laugh as he tried out some new moves. Tom had brought Nico's sword in, trying to make him happy. And he succeeded.

Just then, Harry burst in.'Took me ages to find the right cell! Thank goodness I wasn't captured-'he stared as he took in the sight of Nico, looking perfectly healthy. Then his face hardened as he spotted Tom.

'Riddle.'he hissed.

**Flame all you want. I've always believed that Voldermort isn't as bad as we think.**


	10. Forgive

Harry's POV

The creature who ruined his life, killed his parents, was good. Good. GOOD?! Nico was the only thing that kept him from blasting Voldermort into a thousand little pieces and dumping him into Tartarus when we got there. Nico did not stop him from shooting dirty glances at Voldy Moldy(thank my reviewers for the nickname) every minute or so though.

Voldermort didn't seem to mind though. He was engrossed in his conversation with Nico all the way to the entrance of the Underworld. Nico was waving his hands wildly, while Voldy Moldy seemed troubled. Percy was also talking with Annabeth using an Irif message. Or Ires message. Whatever.

Nico came up to Harry.'Look, Harry, Tom has been telling me about you and-'

He was cut short by Harry.'So now he's Tom, right? First name terms already? You must be really close to that scum.'

'Harry-'

'I KNOW, HE HAS TURNED! BUT HE MURDERED INNOCENT PEOPLE, HE ACTUALLY ENJOYED KILLING AND YOU ARE TRUSTING HIM! HE MURDERED MY MOM, DAD AND A CHANCE TO HAVE A PROPER FAMILY! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WORK WITH HIM!? HE COULD BE A SPY FROM GAIA!'

'Harry, you don't know-'

'YEAH, I DON'T KNOW! NO ONE BOTHERED TO TELL ME ANYTHING!' Tears were beginning to well in Harry's eyes. Just the thought of Voldermort being given more than he deserved made him upset.

Muggles were starting to stare. One muttered,'The kid has gone insane. Poor thing. His family's death must have hit him hard.'

Nico said,'Harry, calm down. I was going to tell you. And for your information, no matter what your family did, you can never give them up.' (I just had to use Hermes's words for this, since it sounded really suitable in here)

Harry choked.'Family? But he isn't your uncle on your mother's side, is he?'

Nico's expression turned dark.'No. Mother did not have any siblings. That I remember.' The second sentence was said so quietly that Harry barely heard it.'He's my brother.'

Harry couldn't wrap his mind around that. Having someone who is fifty years older than you as a brother was quite ridiculous. Voldy Moldy was old enough to be Nico's grandfather. Having a godly family really is complicated.

Harry still had tons of questions, but he dropped it. For now. Instead, he turned to the original topic, the one that had made him mad.

"What were you going to say before I went mad?'

'As I was saying, Tom has been telling me about you and it appears that he knows quite a lot. For one, your Patronaus(did I spell it wrong?) takes the form of a stag. But the main point is, you have to teach everyone how to do it. There are Dementors in the place we are going and we don't have that much chocalate. We have a time limit of two days to learn it. Deadlines are so helpful.'

Line break

Percy had finished his conversation with Annabeth. Apparently, it was about trying to find a way to get past the monsters in Tartarus. But even Annabeth was stumped. In the end, it was Voldermort who offered the idea of Patronauses. Since some of the monsters are afraid of light and happiness, it would be really useful.

So now they were practicing on a clearing. Thalia had manipulated the Mist so the Muggles won't notice anything. Percy and Riddle were the first to get the hang of it after an hour followed by Hermione. Thalia managed to produce silvery mist and finally mastered it after half a day. Nico was having real trouble with it. He couldn't even produce mist after a day.

A silvery skeleton owl flew over Harry's head again for the tenth time that hour. Unable to resist any longer, he yelled,'Stop it, Tom!'

Riddle blinked. He exchanged a glance with Nico. Then a silvery skeleton hellhound burst out from Nico's wand.

Riddle was still stunned. Nico grinned devilishly,'On first name terms, aren't you?'

Harry cursed inwardly. He tried not to be too friendly to Riddle, since he fel that it will be disrespectful towards mom and dad. After all, what kind of son made friends with his parents' murderer?

As though as he knew what Harry was thinking, he said,'Your parents won't object once they know the whole story.'

He found himself asking,'How do you know?'

'I am the Ghost King, dummy. I will let you have a little chat for... 'He checked his watch. 'Thirty minutes. Then I will have to stop so Tom can do the charm.'

He was going to see his parents...

'What do we have to do?' I asked.

He could tell them that he loved them...

'We dig a hole and get some food.'

Line break

Ten of his precious thirty minutes had gone. Nico and Harry were covered in sweat but the hole still wasn't deep enough. In the end, Nico threw down his shovel in pure frustration.

'The earth is harder than rock! Even my skeletons can't make a scratch!' He threw up his hands.

They got Riddle to do a gauging charm, but it only deepened a few centimeters. Hermione's charm made only a few scratches. Percy tried to deepen the hole by using a lot of water pressure, but it had no effect at all. Thalia used lightning, which only made the hole a little deeper. Gaia must be messing with them.

All the while, Nico was getting paler. The charm was wearing off.

When twenty minutes had passed and the hole still looked like a shallow ditch, they had to give up. Riddle redid the charm on Nico and tested everyone on their Patronauses. He bossed everyone around, double checking and triple checking everything. He wrapped Nico in blankets despite Nico's protests, stopped Percy from playing with his Patronaus dolphin and walked over to Harry.

'Sorry about Lily and James. Sorry. We will need to work together and I hope that you can trust me.'

Harry wanted to say that sorry won't cut it, but looking at his face, he saw shame and remorse. Somehow, he could tell that it was genuine. But he wished that he had a way of confirming it.

Then he was swept away in a torrent of memories that aren't mine.

A little boy was sitting on a simple white bed with his eyes wide as a woman talked to him.'Tom, your mother was dead the moment you were born. She died after naming you. Tom for your father, Marvalo for your grandfather. I know, it's a really weird name. But I still don't see why you insisted on me telling you the story. Knowing them isn't going to make them come for you.'

The colors swirled as in a Pensieve, and Harry found himself in another scene.

The name Marvolo was on a very long list of names in a book. Riddle had fallen asleep in bed reading it. The page had been folded up to mark it. The boy was muttering in his sleep, so softly that Harry had to bend over to hear him.

'Mum was a witch... But why didn't she do magic to save herself? She must have not wanted me...'

As Harry watched on, a tear spilled out and glistened under the moonlight.

The images swirled again.

Riddle walked up to the mansion, with a cold smile on his face. He came to murder the father that never cared about him.

Twirling his wand calmly, Riddle strolled casually into the dining room.

The older two Riddles backed away immediately, but Tom Riddle senior just looked calmly into Riddle junior's eyes.

'You came here to kill me,'he announced.'But you will not get your wish. I am Hades, Lord of the Dead, and you will not kill me. I am just possessing this poor mortal.'

Amazed, Riddle stared up into his father's face. Then he killed his sort-of grandparents with two slashes of his wand.

Hades looked at him, snapped his fingers making a dead body of Tom Riddle senior appear on the floor, and said,'Do not disappoint me.'

When he left the house, Harry could somehow read his mind.

_A god... Dad was a god... Maybe I should do something bigger to get his attention._

Then the scene changed.

Riddle was kneeling before an enraged Hades. Hades was saying,'Tom, you know that I have no feelings for you. Your mother charmed me into having you. Go, and do not appear before me again! You are absolutely useless! Killing people and causing trouble for me! If it wasn't for the Ancient Laws, I would have killed you on the spot. You are just like my other stupid son...'

Riddle hurried out of the palace, devastated by his father's attitude but cheerful to know that he had a sibling.

The colors blended together and started to form a new scene.

A cavern came within sight. Riddle was testing out one of his spells. Just as he finished it, the earth shook so badly that if Riddle hadn't charmed himself to fly up in time, he would have been knocked to the ground.

A face formed in the ground, beautiful and elegant but proud.

_What do you want? You have awakened me from my slumber, unleashed me upon the world. Tell me, what do you request?_

Riddle was too shocked to move. Then he said quietly,'A family.'

Harry was plunged back into reality. Riddle was stuttering,'Occlumency...'

Harry looked into Riddle's eyes. And he knew that Riddle could be trusted.

'I forgive you.'


	11. Gaia strikes

**They reached Tartarus without any problem. They stood by the end of the pit, shivering in the chill that emanated from the pit. Tom's prediction had been correct. Nico had wrapped himself in a blanket because of the cold. Tom didn't know why, but the charm he placed on Nico was effective for only ten hours now, and it was still getting shorter. It disturbed him that there was something he didn't know. **

Jackson gritted his teeth and carefully lowered himself into the pit. There was a rope tied onto everyone's waist except Hermione so they were linked together. It was decided that Percy would go first, Harry second, Nico third, Thalia fourth and Tom the last. The end of the rope was tied onto a rock by the entrance. Hermione was staying behind so she could pull them out with a Hovering Charm if anything happened. The rope had been strengthened by Tom, so it wouldn't break easily. It was magic rope that Hermione had bought in Diagon Alley, which could lengthen according to their needs.

Nico wasn't crying now. He had gone numb. Numb for everyone abandoning him. Numb for everyone not caring. Nothing could shake him up now.

Looking at the unknown depths of Tartarus, he decided to treasure every member of his family more than ever and never be the annoying little boy that is wild about Mythomagic.

Not all will return the same.

Well, I certainly thought bitterly.

Line break

Percy looked down into Tartarus. They had been climbing for two hours and haven't come across anything. It was so dark that he could barely see his own fingers. Something made him nervous. Four children of the Big Three were the tastiest monster treat ever and the delicious smell would spread far and wide. Swarms of monsters should be upon them now. But there was nothing.

Above him, Harry shouted,'Roll call!'

'Jackson!'

'Safe and alive!'

'Grace!'

'Still okay, but do you have a charm for fear of heights?'

'No. Di Angelo!'

No response.

'Nico! Nico di Angelo! Are you there?' Percy could tell from the tone of Harry's voice that he was starting to panic. In fact, Percy himself was clawing at the walls, trying to climb up and check.

Tom's voice joined their discussion.'Don't tell me Nicky is missing.' he begged.

'Did I mention I hate the nickname Nicky?'

They froze. Then the scolding started.

'You had me worried for a moment! Do you have any idea how worried we have been-'

'Why in Tartarus didn't you answer us? You know perfectly well that we are worried about you-'

It went on for ten minutes until Nico finally said,'Can you continue your scolding later? I got a headache just now and was on the verge of fainting. I didn't hear you. In fact, if you continue nagging my headache would get worse and I won't be able to answer the second roll call.'

A headache? But it only has been eight hours since Tom last renewed the charm!

'Nico,' said Percy using the voice that would be suitable for a funeral.'Is the poison getting stronger?'

Nico's reply came swiftly,'I'm not on the verge of dying, and stop treating me like a sick little child! I'm perfectly okay. For Zeus's sake, it's just a headache!'

Percy ignored Nico's rants and asked Tom to renew the spell.

They continued climbing, until Percy's feet touched a ledge. He felt it with his foot and found that it was a corridor. His hand accidentally brushed against a switch and torches blazed to life.

Testing the corridor gingerly to make sure it could hold his weight, he signaled to the others that it was okay. Carefully, they alighted.

Thalia scanned the place. 'Something's not right. It doesn't feel right. It's too easy.'

Right at the end of the corridor, was a plant growing in tangled vines on the wall. An apple made of Stygian ice glittered on a vine. The cure was right in front of them.

'I hate to admit it, but you're right,'Percy said.'It's too easy.'

Thalia gave him an evil look that scored full marks.'You go and get it. Then take it back here. We don't have much time. He only has a day left.'

Percy gave her his super You Are So Going To Regret This look and stormed in the direction of the cure. He plucked it off the vine and held his breath, waiting for some kind of trap to spring out.

Nothing.

He skipped back towards Thalia, waving the cure and grinning jubilantly at her.

Then everything went wrong.


	12. Chapter 12

**Something tugged at Nico's leg. He turned around and stared at it in horror. Hundreds of snakes were forming a chain, and the first snake looped itself around his leg and pulled, almost making Nico lose his balance. Nico usually won't be scared easily, but this time he was so terrified that his voice abandoned least harmless of the snakes was the cobra, and there were quite a few basilisks too.**

The chain tugged again, and this time Nico did fall. He clawed at the ground as he was pulled down, and managed to grab a tiny ledge jutting out from the side of the wall. A sharp edge of the wall cut the rope connecting him and the others, and dug into his skin. The earth seemed to laugh as he flailed hopelessly for any chance of surviving.

His voice finally returned, and he screamed.

Line break

Tom was chatting happily with Harry, planning a party since their quest was a success. He was feeling really elated. Harry had forgiven him. Nico was going to be healed. As usual, Nemisis won't have it. Joy and sorrow must be balanced.

Then he heard Nico scream. Whirling around, he saw a sight that almost made him faint.

Nico was now only hanging by his fingertips from a tiny ledge. His eyes were ablaze with terror. Even though he was using his best efforts to climb up, he wasn't making any progress. There seemed to be some sort of force tugging at him, pulling him down...

Tom pulled on the rope attaching them together and came up with a cut rope. He stared at it in utmost horror. Only something poisoned or really really sharp could have cut the rope in such a short amount of time. He really hoped that it was the latter since Nico was most likely to get cut too.

Percy and Thalia grabbed onto Nico's arms and pulled, but they were no match for whatever was pulling him. Their sweaty hands slipped out of Nico's grasp, and he fell.

Tom was too shocked to perform a Hover Charm, and he just stood there, watching Nico fall, still flailing for any chance of survival.

Harry lunged forward trying to get Nico's hand before it was too late, but accidentally toppled off himself. This time, Tom did perform a Hover Charm, but it only slowed Harry's fall. Percy was so shocked that he could barely move. They had lost two in a day. Thalia had buried her head in her hands.

'If only I hadn't distracted you,'Thalia said.'You might be able to help him on time. Then Harry won't fall...'

Tom stared at her. She wasn't the Thalia who was proud and believed that she could do anything. She was now blaming herself for what had happened. She was not as arrogant as before. She had changed. Surprising what the loss of two friends could do.

oOo Line break oOo

Harry fell.

He fell about... What? A hundred feet? Two hundred? He had lost count.

Harry should be terrified, but instead, he felt strangely at peace.

His body slammed onto something, and he heard a gasp.

Harry found it hard to believe, but he asked incredulously,'Nico?'

There was no reply, but an ice cold hand found his and squeezed.

All of a sudden, the darkness lightened, and Harry saw a bottomless pit below them. Beside them, however, was a corridor. Harry twisted his body so instead of continuing to fall, he slammed onto the corridor.

He could see stars for a moment, then his vision cleared. Nico was still clinging onto him.

After exchanging stories, they checked their supplies. They had enough to last for a week and Nico had a good supply of nectar and ambrosia.

Nico stayed far away from the edge, scared that the snake chain might come back. It had released him once he began to fall, so he managed to grab a ledge and hold on until Harry slammed into him.

They still had twelve hours until Nico died. Harry looked at the younger boy who was almost at death's door. He was shivering despite the jacket Harry had lent him and the blanket.

Harry gave him some ambrosia which he swallowed and fell into a deep sleep. Harry sighed and wrapped his jacket more snugly around his sort of younger brother when he froze.

Green blood was oozing out of a gash on his abdomen.

oOo Line break oOo

Percy insisted that they should still make the antidote.

'Nico's strong.' he said.'And Harry is powerful too. He could take good care of Nico. They will not die.'

The guy seemed so convinced that they could survive that Thalia didn't have the heart to tell him Nico might have another type of poison in his veins.

Tom had pulled her aside last night and broke the news to her. She was horrified. She swore on the Styx that if all of them made it out alive-especially Nico-she will never lose her temper on them unless it was necessary.

Shaking her head, she wondered how she could have got those thoughts. Every time she lost her temper, it was absolutely necessary.

They reattached the rope and started to climb down. She tried not to focus below because of her fear of heights.

Just then, a snake hissed.

She froze.

A basilisk.

She pulled out an arrow and jabbed it. Her arrow started to smoke, but she managed to kill the basilisk before her whole arrow melted. She was about to cheer when she noticed more basilisks.

'No...'she breathed.

She yelled at Percy to climb faster so they could get away. But Percy seemed frozen in place. Then he started to scream.

'Mom! Don't! Mom! Mom!'

Then Riddle went hysterical too.

'Not Di Angelo, my lady. No. Please.'

She stabbed a few more basilisks before the chill crept over her.

She sank into her own memory.

It was a cheerful day, Jason lumbering beside her in the park. She smiled as she took in his features. He was cute, and somehow Thalia knew that he's be cuter when he grew up. Birds chirped, and Jason laughed. He ran off to chase a butterfly and Thalia followed, laughing like her little brother.

'Thalia.' her mother came up beside her.'Go to the car and fetch the picnic basket. Now. No arguing. I will watch Jason.'

Thalia had a horrible feeling about leaving her brother with her mother, but her mother's fierce look silenced her.

'Go.'

She obeyed, running off to the car. She turned around the take another look at Jason, who was now chasing ladybugs. She didn't know that it would be her last look then.

She returned with the picnic basket, surprised that it was empty. She looked around for her brother. Her heart sank when she saw her mother alone on the steps of a ruined house, crying.

Everything that happened afterwards was a blur. She had cried, screamed at her mom, cursed Hera, called the cops...

'Expecto Patronum.' she didn't know why, but it just felt right to cast the charm.

A silvery eagle burst out of her wand, and it immediately felt warm again. The basilisks fled. Riddle came out of his trance, and Percy stopped screaming and blinked in confusion.

'That,'she announced with the tone of teaching five year olds.'is a Dementor, and remember to do the Patronaus charm.'

After five hours, they stopped for lunch and a break. That has got to be the weirdest meal ever, dangling from a magic rope, surrounded by darkness and evil things.

After they finished eating, they continued to climb. The antidote pressed against Thalia's chest. She had been voted to carry it since Percy was the most likely person to lose it and they still aren't sure whether Riddle could be trusted. Riddle seemed hurt, but he allowed it.

Just then, they saw a corridor filled with light. Could it be?

As they drew closer, they saw the silhouettes of two people. One was moving about while the other was lying on the floor sleeping.

Please let it be them... She prayed to all the gods, even Hera.


	13. Chapter 13

**The fall of the Underworld Prince**

The prince of shadows will fall.

Harry trickled a little more nectar into Nico's mouth when the line came to him.

He had slept fitfully, and ate a loaf of bread for breakfast. Or dinner. Time didn't matter down here anyway. He shook Nico, trying to get the son of Hades to eat something, but Nico didn't respond. He remembered Nico's wound from four hours before. He had bandaged it the best he could and fed the unconscious boy some nectar.

His eyes widened. He checked Nico's pulse.

There wasn't one.

What the fuck.

He desperately stashed ambrosia into Nico's mouth, but it didn't work. Even though he knew deep in his heart that Nico was dead, he just refused to accept it and kept feeding him little amounts of nectar from time to time.

Nico was dead-no, just unconscious, Harry reminded himself-for three hours when he heard something drop onto the floor behind him. It was noiseless, but Harry had keen senses and heard it.

He spun, wand in hand.

In front of him was a Dementor, only taller and the aura of death and despair radiating from it was stronger than any Dementor he had ever saw.

The Dementor took a rattling breath, and he was drowning in darkness once again.

'No, not Harry, please not Harry!'

'Stand aside, girl.'

'No, no, please, kill me instead, please not Harry!'

A high cruel laugh, a flash of green light, and Lily Potter crumpled onto the floor. The images became clearer, and Harry thought he saw a flash of regret in Voldermort's eyes. Voldermort's features were human again, but as he stepped across the body of Lily Potter, his features became wax like and expressionless once again.

Riddle was human before Nico came along.

Somehow, that thought cheered him up and he caught glimpses of his current situation while submerged in painful memories. He saw a basilisk slither out from behind the Dementor, and it hissed at him.

He raised his wand, and said,'Expecto Patronum.'

The silver stag cantered around the room, his father's spirit so strong that it drove the Dementor away. Even the basilisk recoiled a little. He felt safe, strong and confident.

'Reducto.'

The basilisk was blasted into the hole, hissing venomously. He knew that it meant,'Wait till I get you for this!'

He heard something else thump onto the floor again, and he spun around, almost casting the Stunning Spell but realized who it was in time.

'Percy?'

'Harry.' Percy acknowledged him grimly, then turned his attention to Nico.'How is he?'

Harry grimaced.'Not good.' he then proceeded to tell Percy about the situation.

'Poison. Oh, gods. I've had enough of poison!' Percy threw up his hands.

'Let's get him out of here first. I don't think that this is the best place for recovery. By the way, do you have the antidote? It might help.'

Thalia heard them and walked over, holding out a small container. Together, they trickled it bit by bit into Nico's mouth.

Nico still didn't move and he still didn't have a pulse.

'Oh, gods...' Thalia covered her mouth.

'No...'Percy breathed.

Harry himself was too shocked to speak. The truth of Nico's death was starting to settle in.

They fastened Nico to the end of the rope. They tugged on the rope, and they felt the rope begin to lift.

They fended off a few monsters on the way, but the rope was moving so fast that they were out of sight before the monsters were able to strike properly.

They finally made it out of Tartarus, and collapsed on the floor in a heap.

'You guys are brilliant!'Hermione beamed at them.'You made it out alive!' then she saw Nico's motionless figure on the ground, and her smile faltered.

'What's wrong with him?'

No one answered, and Hermione checked for a pulse, hoping that it was just a prank, and Nico would jump up any moment laughing, but it didn't happen.

'No,'she said, her voice trembling.'He can't be dead!'

Riddle walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder.'I'm afraid that he is.'


	14. Chapter 14

The ancient ritual for the funeral of children of Hades was performed by some dead godly priest Tom summoned. Since they couldn't contact Chiron because their quest isn't over yet, they only invited Sally and Paul.

They were in a graveyard, standing over a newly erected tombstone, when Sally and Paul arrived.

'Oh god,'Paul said, staring at Nico's body.'I knew a demigod's life is rocky, but I never expected this.'

Sally didn't say anything. She knew that her own son would face this fate some day too.

Tom, Percy, Harry and Hermione was standing by the side of the hole quietly.

Tom was staring at the body of the boy that had truly brought him back to the light. He knew that he was going to miss Nico di Angelo. A lot.

Percy didn't know what to think. Nico had always been a little brother to him. And now...

Harry was still in shock. After all the son of Hades had done, he couldn't be just lying there, dead.

Hermione never had a close relationship with Nico, but they got along fairly well. Nico was always pushing people away, but Hermione supposed it was his way of protecting himself. She didn't blame him. She was fairly sure that, ten years into the future, she was going to lean back on her chair and stare at the clear blue sky and remember the boy who had a rough life and died before he had to.

'From the earth you come, to the earth you belong.' the priest intoned. Tears were starting to fall from everyone's eyes, even Paul who barely knew him.

'The earth shall claim you, and your body given to the earth.'

The body of Nico di Angelo was lowered into the earth, hands placed across his stomach, hiding the wound that had made it too late for the others to help him.

Skeletons rose out of the earth, and started to shovel earth into the hole. It fell onto Nico, burying him, but a voice rang out.

'What are you thinking, burying my son alive?'

Line break

Nico was laid onto the black bed carefully by Hades. His chest was starting to rise and fall steadily.

Hades took another look at him, seemed satisfied, and turned to Tom who was cowering in front of his father.

'Tell me,' Hades demanded.'Why do you see fit to bury Nico alive?'

'Well, we thought that he was dead.'

Hades snorted.'He most certainly isn't! Tell me the full story. The rest of you, come in!'he called.'I need you to help Tom tell the whole story.'

Percy, Thalia, Harry, Hermione, Paul and Sally were marched in by some skeleton soldiers. Paul looked creeped out of his wits and Sally was looking around at the furniture, not believing that anyone could have taste that bad. The rest of them, were looking at Nico's bed. Percy and Thalia almost jumped with joy while Harry and Hermione looked relieved.

They told Hades the story, and Hades looked furious.

'If only she wasn't asleep, I would get her back for this!' he growled.'Corrupting one of my sons and hurting the other.'

Percy blinked.'Asleep?'

'Yes. It's kinda complicated. Tom here cast the charm that awakened Gaia, didn't he?'

All of them nodded.

'So now he has turned, and doesn't wish for Gaia to be awake anymore. So Gaia is reduced to a sleepy state, unable to do many things. But she still is awake, just unable to do big things.'

Percy frowned.'But you said she is asleep?'

'Patience, boy.' Hades looked at him pointedly. 'Since she is sleepy, she needed a sacrifice presented to her in Tartarus to wake her up fully. The sacrifice has to be a child of the big three, and it has to die in Tartarus to wake up fully. She chosen Tartarus because it was the best place for demigods to die. Gaia wanted a back up, in case one of the sacrifices were unreachable. She hoped that Thalia and Percy would get infected too, but my son here is the only one useless enough to get wounded.'

Sally was about to say something but was stopped by a warning glance from Percy.

'But he didn't die, and Gaia's last hope is lost. She could only stay in the sleepy state for so long and fell asleep again.'

'But what kept him alive?' Hermione asked timidly.

Hades tilted his head, trying to decide the easiest way to explain. 'Well... Love.'

'Love?'Harry asked incredulously. Love, again? Dumbledore had sent him an owl explaining everything before Nico's funeral.

'Love.'Hades repeated impatiently.'This is extremely rare. The caster of the charm would love the victim in the end. Tom's love was enough to push the poison back and hold it at bay for quite some time. Have you never wondered why your healing charm can be so strong?'

Now that Tom came to think of it, it was really unusual.

'So now all Nico needs is a touch from his godly parent, and I have already done so. He needs only rest now.'

Hearing that, they took it as their cue to leave. Before closing the door, Hades's last words rang out.'Your descend into Tartarus has stirred Kronos. He will be awake soon. And help Tom do something about his Hocruxes, won't you?'

Line break

Nico stirred in his bed. The soft satin rubbed against his body.

Hades looked at his sleeping son with mixed feelings.

Sadness is one of them. Nico reminded him so much of Maria di Angelo. His Maria.

He also felt angry. His son had failed him too many times. Okay, it might just be five times, when he listened to Minos, summoned Maria even he knew he shouldn't...

But now, the most he felt was love. The way Nico snored was kind of cute. And his legs were huddled close to his chest, was reminding Hades of the way Maria slept. He remembered the sparkle in Nico's eyes when he told him he was Nico's father. The delighted smile when he was officially crowned Ghost King.

He was so lost in his memories that he didn't notice it when Nico woke up.

'Father?'he asked softly.

Hades jumped. He looked around to see Nico sitting up in bed, taking in his surroundings.

'This is not my room.'he frowned.

Hades smiled. He had refurnished Nico's room when he was away, wanting to give him a surprise. He decided that the Prince of the Underworld and the King of Ghosts should not sleep in a tiny room with only a mattress.

'It is.'he smiled.'Surprise.'

Nico's eyes widened, and he did something Hades never expected his son to do.

Nico hugged him.

'Thanks, dad!' Nico was beaming with delight.

Hades was taken aback. This was the first time Nico had called him dad. Usually Nico resorted to the more formal way of 'My Lord' or 'Father'.

Hmmm, maybe his son wasn't that bad after all.

Line break

The sky was blue again as the green receded. Down in the Underworld, a certain god's resentment towards his son was slowly receding too.

AN: I am letting you guys decide what I am going to write next. Tell me via the poll on my profile. I will be closing it on 31st Dec.

A. Sequel to The Green Sky.

B. Undetermined

There is a lot of people writing about characters reading PJATO series with the gods, but I want to do one with the characters reading fanfics with the gods. The author of the fanfic can decide the time, place, characters etc. of you have a fanfic in mind, consult the author first then PM me.

C. What if?

If you are wondering things that begin with 'What if?...' about PJATO and HP, PM me and if I see fit, I would put it in my What If?...series.


	15. AN

My new story is going to be called The Destruction of the Hocruxes, can look it up by Jan if the poll's results point to that.


	16. New story is up! A new adventure begins

s/8769482/1/The-Destruction-of-the-Hocruxes

Attention everyone! My ADHD has been acting up and my fingers just typed out a new story by itself. The link above…Just click it…

Thanks for everyone's support!


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